RoadVitals

2025 Audi A3

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
5
Latest Jul 21, 2026
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains 5 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2025 Audi A3, most frequently naming the driver assistance, brakes and electrical categories. 453 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Driver assistance360.0%
  • Brakes120.0%
  • Electrical120.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Filed Jul 21, 2026

On two separate occasions, approximately four months apart in spring and summer 2026, while turning left across oncoming traffic at a green light, the vehicle's brakes applied hard on their own with no driver input. Each time the vehicle came to an abrupt halt mid-turn for roughly one second before releasing. On both occasions a driver-assistance warning message displayed on the dashboard at the time of the event. Because this occurred while turning in front of oncoming traffic, it created a serious risk of a collision. The exact dates were not recorded. These events occurred after a battery replacement performed at the dealership in February 2026. This is reported so it is on record under this vehicle's VIN and can be compared against similar reports of unintended or self-activating braking on this platform.

NHTSA ID
11751873
Incident
Dec 31, 1969
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Jul 15, 2026

My 2025 Audi A3 has been experiencing severe and recurring 'phantom braking' issues, where the vehicle violently and unexpectedly engages the emergency braking system without any obstacles present. This poses an immediate, life-threatening risk of being rear-ended at high speeds. Despite formally notifying Volkswagen Group of America via certified mail in May 2026, the vehicle has not been successfully repaired. The situation escalated on July 4, 2026, when the vehicle suffered a complete breakdown during operation and had to be towed to Audi Sugar Land, where it remains out of service. The manufacturer is refusing to repurchase this unsafe vehicle.

NHTSA ID
11750651
Incident
Jun 3, 2025
Driver assistance
Filed May 15, 2026
Crash reported

The Park Assist function caused me to have an incident with my vehicle when parking. I safely engaged the autopark function and followed the prompts for the car to proceed with the parking. Suddenly, when reversing the car violently accelerated, making it impossible to brake or stop the collision with the parked car. The Park Assist failed. The safety of pedestrians was put at risk, as people were walking around the area of the collision. Audi has been contacted with no current response to the issue. No warning lights other than the prompt to follow instructions.

NHTSA ID
11738157
Incident
May 15, 2026
Filed Jan 26, 2026

The honk stopped functioning on January 21 2026. I noticed this when a car was moving into my lane on a major highway and I need to honk to alert them. Not being able to alert another drive that they are about to hit me puts me, the other driver, and potentially others at risk. I had to break hard, which is also a safety hazard. The honk has not functioned since, so it was not an isolated issue. No warning lights went on. I have scheduled an appointment with the Bridgewater dealership for Friday January 30.

NHTSA ID
11713416
Incident
Jan 21, 2026
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Sep 10, 2025
Crash reported

1) Electronic emergency brake goes on repeatedly when attempting to put vehicle in gear. 2) Speed control has coasted to a very low speed while on the highway several times, on its own with no vehicles in front of me. 3) Numerous other “glitchy” electrical issues exist. Dealer says they are collaborating with engineers in Germany. There is currently no fix. It is as if the vehicle is always cycling through various “glitches”.

NHTSA ID
11686190
Incident
Jun 1, 2025

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TSB_2082976_2

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This bulletin provides general information about the current tpp issues for Audi connect.

TSB_2069331_8

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This bulletin provides informaitn when there is a warning messsage; "Instrument cluster: fault. Limited warning messages. Please contact workshop"; DTC B200096.

TSB_2074436_3

This bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.

TSB_2068629_3

SUSPENSION

This bulletin provides informaiotn when there are rattling/grinding noises reported from the front end.

TSB_2068999_4

STRUCTURE:BODY

This TSB describes a corrosion issue due to outside influence and the prohibition of warranty in these cases.

TSB_2069078_4

SERVICE BRAKES

This bulletin provides information on the zirconium insercts in the brake piston (ceramic brakes only).

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Audi A3 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027000—
2026000—
2025Viewing500—
2024200—
2023720—
2022960—
2021000—
2020163154.1
2019103149.2
2018332150.3
2017442152.4
2016813155.6
2015922153.2
2014000—
2013203046.0
2012434256.7
2011434251.0
2010505453.1
2009475259.5
2008433045.9
2007523041.8
20061234045.0
2005010—
2004600—
2003200—
2002000—
2001100—
2000000—
1999000—
1998000—
1997000—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.